Marsha + Joe Bartlett Lake Arizona Stylized Shoot

Joe shook his head and rebuffed interest. No, no, he was definitely not interested in Marsha when he saw her saunter into his tattoo shop the first time to start work on her full sleeve. Marsha gives Joe a long sideways glance and lifts one eyebrow playfully towards him before he finally relents, saying Okay, yes I was TOTALLY interested but I wasn't going to do anything about it because she was with someone else and at the time so was I. While it wasn't exactly a green light, it didn't stop Joe from picking up his tattoo gun...and his charm.

Hearing Marsha recall that first encounter you see a sparkle in her eyes, as she remembers just how cool, calm, and collected the rugged artist was. But since she was in a committed relationship, she settled on being friends with the handsome stranger. As the years rolled by the two would travel in the same social circles often, and when Joe found himself dubiously single yet again, Marsha jumped at the chance to set him up with her any of her single friends. He was after all the most genuine guy she'd ever met. He was a catch. But each relationship would end in heartbreak for Joe and Marsha was always there to nurse his wounds and offer up encouragement.

But it would take the ending of her own relationship a few years later, and a move across the country to the desert where Joe would eventually follow before Marsha would begin to consider the thought of them together seriously.

She giggles as she tells me that after seven long years of stifling her true feelings, and brushing Joe off as just a really great friend, she broke down the walls that had separated the two of them for almost an entire decade the night she went to say goodbye while leaving a house party. Drunkenly, she leaned in to give him a hug goodnight and ended up kissing his neck softly while the two of them were parting ways. That small romantic gesture was everything Joe had been hoping, waiting, and praying for since he'd met Marsha all those years earlier.

When we finally let down our guard and admitted our true feelings for each other, we knew that we were meant to be together, they tell me as they stare adoringly into each other's eyes.

Not wanting to waste any time, Joe popped the question 2 years after that fateful drunken night in one of the most epic proposal stories I've had the pleasure of hearing. Don't believe me? You can check out his proposal video here! Marsha and Joe were married in a small and intimate wedding reception at the Valley Ho October 15th 2016 and this past week; we went out to update their images together in a kick-ass stylized session. Knowing their love for all things vintage, a 1970's Bronco and some bubbles felt like the perfect way to encapsulate their love.

I had a blast catching up with both of them and documenting their love as it's evolved since they've been married in this fun stylized shoot at Bartlett Lake in Scottsdale Arizona.

One of my favorite things about this shoot was watching the way Joe tenderly kissed Marsha. It was like each kiss was private memory, just for her.

After our initial spot we'd planned to photograph was covered in snow, Arizona weather I'm learning is just as crazy as Minnesota) we doubled back a mile down the road and found this perfect alcove for their session.

Many thanks to my good friend Anna Marie for lending us her Bronco Goldie Hawn for this shoot and tirelessly blowing bubbles into my camera lens with her husband to capture this oh so magical look!

I falling more and more in love with Arizona…it may be just me, but each sunset in this desert state is gloriously pink and orange and awesome.

I’ll end on this note because we had just a few minutes to catch the sunset, as it went through a rainbow of colors but it was however brief, perfectly vibrant just like Marsha and Joes love.